Nate Reed has served six Florida governors and two presidents in many positions, including terms as chairman of the Florida Department of Air and Water Pollution Control, and Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He’ll be on campus next Thursday, April 3, to lecture on how we all are impacted by Florida’s estuaries, and why we should care deeply about preserving them. The lecture will be hosted by USFSP’s Florida Studies Program.

Reed will present “Florida Estuaries: Connecting Landscapes to the Ocean”

“Florida is all about its water: beaches, rivers, estuaries, lakes, springs and groundwater that is the source of drinking water for 90 percent of Floridians,” said Christopher Meindl, Ph.D., director of Florida Studies. “Declines in water quality are a problem for all of us: Poor water quality harms and reduces the quantity of seafood (and birds that eat fish), it chases away tourists and it forces us to pay more to clean up our drinking water. This program is particularly important now because during Florida’s dry season, people tend to focus on water quantity, ignoring threats to water quality.”

Reed is perhaps Florida’s most influential environmental advocate. He served as Florida Governor Claude Kirk’s environmental advisor in the late 1960s, and as the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Nixon and Ford administrations where he was responsible for Fish, Wildlife and National Parks. Reed now serves as Vice Chair of the Everglades Foundation and former Governor Bob Graham’s Florida Conservation Coalition.

“Reed’s background and knowledge of this subject are truly stunning,” said Frank Biafora, P.h.D., dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “I’m delighted that the Florida Studies Program is able to bring him to campus and offer this open lecture to the Tampa Bay community.”

The lecture will be held at 5:30 at Harbor Hall. A complimentary dinner buffet will be available to the first 80 guests. The event is free.